Kellie-Maree Gibson (born 9 June 1996) is an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er playing for

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

in the

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 1 ...

competition. She was one of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

's two marquee players in the inaugural AFL Women's season and has also played for

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

. A multi-sport athlete, Gibson began her athletic career as a sprinter, and won a gold medal in

rugby sevens at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics Rugby sevens at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics was held from 17 to 20 August at the Youth Olympic Sports Park in Nanjing, China. The 2014 Games marked the debut of Rugby sevens at the Youth Olympics as it was voted an Olympic sport for the 20 ...

AFL Women's career

Gibson was selected to play in the first AFL-sanctioned women's exhibition match in 2013, when she was barely 17. Over the following years, she played women's AFL exhibition games for both the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

and

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

. Gibson was one of two marquee player signings announced by

in July 2016, in anticipation of the

2017 AFL Women's season The 2017 AFL Women's season was the inaugural season of the AFL Women's competition, the new highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured eight clubs, ran from 3 February until 25 March, and compr ...

. After playing in all seven regular season games and the

2017 AFL Women's Grand Final The 2017 AFL Women's Grand Final was an Australian rules football match held on 25 March 2017 to determine the premiers of the 2017 AFL Women's season, the league's inaugural season. were victorious over minor premiers , claiming the first AFL ...

with the premiership-winning team, Gibson expressed a desire to return to

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. Unable to negotiate a trade with

, Adelaide delisted her on in May 2017. At the start of the free agency period, Fremantle signed Gibson for the 2018 AFL Women's season. Gibson sustained a hip flexor injury in a practice match before the beginning of the

2018 AFL Women's season The 2018 AFL Women's season was the second season of the AFL Women's competition, the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured eight clubs, ran from 2 February until 24 March, and comprised a ...

. An initial diagnoses suggested a six-to-eight week recovery time. She made her debut for Fremantle in the final round of the 2018 season, kicking a goal as Fremantle defeated Carlton at Fremantle Oval. In April 2019, Gibson joining cross-town rivals

for their inaugural season. It was revealed Gibson signed on with on 25 June 2021.

Statistics

: ''Statistics are correct to the end of the 2017 season'' , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, , 2 , , 8 , , 4 , , 2 , , 38 , , 16 , , 54 , , 9 , , 11 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 4.8 , , 2.0 , , 6.8 , , 1.1 , , 1.4 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 8 ! 4 ! 2 ! 38 ! 16 ! 54 ! 9 ! 11 ! 0.5 ! 0.3 ! 4.8 ! 2.0 ! 6.0 ! 1.1 ! 1.4

Personal life

Prior to being selected by Adelaide as a marquee player, Gibson moved from Perth to Adelaide in June 2016 to work for the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

(SANFL) as female engagement coordinator.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Kellie Living people 1996 births Adelaide Football Club (AFLW) players Australian rules footballers from Western Australia Rugby sevens players at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics Fremantle Football Club (AFLW) players West Coast Eagles (AFLW) players Youth Olympic gold medalists for Australia